May 26, 2003	Monday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 23,1424

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SKARDU, May 25: The Gilgit-Skardu road will soon be reopened, Frontier Works Organization officials have said.

Newsmen were told during a visit to the damaged portion of the road at Ganji Pari in Roundu valley that an FWO company was working to remove the debris and reconstruct the road with six bulldozers.

The road at Ganji Pari was buried by landslides due to rain 23 days ago.

The FWO had employed local people in the work and it was observed that the pace of work was slow. FWO and police officials were also present.

A man who had walked from Gilgit for three hours told this correspondent he had seen only two bulldozers. The newsmen found two bulldozers parked.

A bulldozer of the Public Works Department, that had been brought from Skardu to help the FWO, had gone out of order three days before near Staq nullah.

PWD workers said the fault had been detected but the spare parts were available at Khaplu, some 180km away.

An FWO official said work at the spot was held up because of the delay in repair. The road from Katehura to Staq was badly damaged at several places.